Picture telegraphy



May 20, 1930. H J, ROUND 1,759,594

PICTURE TELEGRAPHY Filed May l1, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 4 Mrs/VM INVENTOR May 20, 1930. H. J. ROUND 1,759,594

PICTURE TELEGRAPHY Filed Hay l1, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TORNEY A 4 .u j

Patented Maly 20, 1930 V UNITED STATES PATENT-gorrin HENRY JOSEPH ROUND, OF 'WESTFIELIL INIU'SVTELII'JA HILL, LONDON, ENGLAND,` AS- lSIGNOR 'IO RADIO COBPORATIONOE AMERICA., A CQBPORATION 0F DELAWARE 'PICTURE 'riiLEGBArHY Application led May 11, 1927, Serial No. 190,467, and in Great v ZBi'itainIMay 21, 1926.

This'invention relates to picture and the like telegraphy.

Its object is to provide means whereby the elements or points forming a pictureor the like, or forming an image thereof, are disktributed in a form convenient for reproduction; for example, the said elements or points may be distributed along the circumference of a circle.

The invention is based upon the known phenomenon that if light be projected longitudinally through a rod of material, such as quartz or glass, or through a tube of silver polished on the inside, the said light will pass through the said rod or tube substantially Without spreading laterally, even if the said rod or tube be bent to a considerable extent; that is to say, the rod or tube acts as a light tube.

According to this invention light from the elements or points in a picture or the like or in an image are projected longitudinally through a pluralityof lighttubes, which are arranged so as to distribute the said elements or points in a form convenient for reproduction, for example, along the circum.- ference of a circle. The invention is obviously reversible; that is to say, the oints of a picture or image may be distri uted into a form convenient for reproduction or a picture or image7 may be formed by lightv projected from a distributed image.

In one way of carrying out the invention, light from a picture is projected upon the ends of light tubes arranged in a rectangular bundle, the said light tubes being bent or curved so that their other ends lie along the circumference of a circle. This circle forms what may be termed a cipher of the picture.

A photo-electric cell is caused to travel at a convenient speed, for example, 8 to 10 times persecond, around the circle forming the cipher, and the impulses from the said cell are magnified and transmitted in any known way to a receiver. The received currentsV of abundle o f light tubes, arranged similarly to those in the said transmitting station, an image of the picture being thereby formed at the receiving station.

In a modification a hoto-electric cell is arranged opposite-the" cipher end of each of the rods in the transmitter, the energy from the. cells being utilized to charge condensers which are discharged at close intervals by means of a brush rotating, say, 8 to 10 times per second. vThe discharge currents are mag` nified and transmitted to a receiver at which the received currents are utilized to -vary the light from a source which is rotated-synchronously with the brush (at the transmitting station) opposite the cipher ends of the light tubes. f

ln place of therotating source of light at the receiver, there may be employed a plurality of sources arranged one opposite the cipher end of each light tube.

The 'invention is illustrated in the -accom- Vpanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows schematicallya transmitter arrangement and Fig. 2. a receiver arrangement in accordance with the said invention, wherein rotating and synchronously driven photo cells and light sources are provided; Fig. 3 represents a modification of a transmitter using a plurality of photo cells, one cell being located adjacent to the end of eachlight tube; and, Fig. 4 represents a receiver `of like characteristics to the transmitter of Fig. 3, wherein light sources correspond to the photo cells of Fig. 3.

I eferring to Fig. l, 1 is a picture through which-light is projected from a lens 2 upon the ends 3a of aI bundle. of light tubes 3, massed behind the said picture. The light tubes 3 are arranged so that their other ends 3*lie along the circumference of a circle around which is driven a photo-electric cell 4, carried by a rotating arm 5. It will be seen that the cell 4 passes successively beneath the ends 3b of the light tubes 3, and will therefore be influenced by the light transmitted (therethrough. The varying electrical output from the cell 4 is amplified by means of an amplier 6, andthen transmitted,

, RElSSU-D 2 is the complement of the arrangement shownd in Fig. 1, and comprises a receiving amplifier 7, a plurali of light tubes 3 Whose'ends 3" are arrange along the circumference of a circle, and whose ends 3l are massed behind a receiving screen 8, and a lamp or other variable light source 9, fed from the receiving amplifier 7 andcarried by means of a rotating arm 5 round the circle of light tubes in synchronism with the photo-electric cell 4 at the transmitter station.

To now make reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, a transmitting apparatus of a modified form of that shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated. By Fig. 3 a plurality of photoelectric cells designated l, E2, etc. are arranged opposite the ends of the light tubes not shown by Fig. 3) which correspond to t e light tubes 3 and 3a of Figs. 1 and 2. jThe photoelectric cells El, E2, etc. are connected together at one pole to a common ring conductor F, to which is connected a source of potential B. The other pole yof each photoelectric cell is connected to a separate segment of a commutator C. One pole of a separate condenser K1, K2, etc. is connected to each segment of the commutator C and the other poles are joined to a common ring conductor G to which is connected one input terminal of the amplifier or receiving device- 6. The other terminal of the amplifying device 6 is connected to a brush D, which rotates on the commutator C. This brush D discharges the condensers K1, K2, etc. in succession and thus im ulses proportional to the charges on the con enser are amplified b applying them to the amplifying device 6. n the amplified form the energy is directed to any appropriate form of wire or radio transmitter.

By Fig. 4 I have shown a receiving arrangement of similar characteristics to that of the transmitter of Fig. 3. In Fig. 4 L1, L2, L3, etc. represent a number of lamps of other appropriate light sources, each arranged opposite the end of a light tube (not shown) of similar characteristics to the tubes designated as 3 and 3 on Fi 1 and 2, and for convenience of illustration only, 18 of such lamps are represented on the figure. One terminal of each lamp L1, L2, L3, etc. is connected to a common conductor F in the form of a closed ring. The other terminal of the lamps L1, L2, L2, etc. is connected to one segment of a commutator C. A source of potential B 1s connected between the conductor F and an output terminal of an amplifying device 7, which is associated with any preferred form of receiver for receiving signal energy from transmitters of the. character disclosed by Figs. 1 and 3, or other preferred form of suitable transmitter, so that the amplifier is controlled by incoming signals. The other out- .connected to a brush contact D which rotates around the commutator C and thus connects each lamp L1, L2, La, etc. in succession with the control device.

It is thus seen that if a picture be placed corresponding to that picture of Fig. 1 designated by the numeral 1 and light directed to the picture so as to pass through the light tubes 3, 3* etc., and finally direct itself to the photo cells El, E2, etc. of Fig.3, so as to influence a transmitter and the signals are transmitted and picked up by receiving device and amplified so as to flash the lamps L1, L2, L8, etc., which are placed at the end of tubes 3, 3a, 3, etc. similar to that shown on Fig. 2, that a picture represented on Fig. 2 as 8 will be produced, without the need of a rapidly rotating arm as has been designated by 5 on Figs. l and 2. It is to be understood that the rate of influencing the light sources is to be synchronous to that of discharging the capacities associated with the photo cells of-Fig. 3; and that the rotary arms 5 of Figs. l and 2 are similarly synchronously driven. For the synchronization between the transmitter and receiver any preferred form of synchronizer may be used and I, therefore, do not make claims to the synchronizing apparatus only in so far as it cooperates to complete the combination. The disclosure of Figs. 3 and 4, therefore, represents a modification of my arrangement which has been found quite useful.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A picture telegraphy system comprisin a picture surface, a plurality of light tu es massed at one end behind said picture surface, said tubes being arranged at the other end to form a picture cipher, a light source, means for projecting light from said source upon said picture surface and through said light tubes in accordance with the intensity of light and shade in said picture surface, light sensitive means associated with the end of ca ch of said tubes forming the said picture clpher for responding to variation 1n intensity in light and shade of said picture as passed through said tubes, a transmitting system, and means provided by said light sensitive means for influencing said transmitter in accordance with said varying intensity in light and shade in said picture.

2. A Vsystem for picture telegraphy comprising, a picture surface, a plurality of light tubes massed behind said picture surface and arranged at the opposite end to form a picture cipher, a light source, means provided for directing light of an intensity proportional to the intensity of light and shadow on said picture surface through said light tubes, a photoelectric element andmeans for sequentially subjecting said element to the intensity of light issuing fromsaid tubes, and

-in-said picture cipher.

= each of said p means for modulating a transmitter in ac-l cordance with the current flow produced in said photoelectric element by light impinging thereon.

3. The system of transmitting and receiving pictures, which includes, a transmitting system having a picture surface, a plurality of light tubes massed behind said picture surface, said tubes being formed at their opposite end in a picture cipher,a light source for directing light through said picture surface and said tubes, light sensitive means at the picture cipher end of said tubes, a transmitter, and means provided by sai'd light sensitive means at the end of said tubes for modulating a transmitter in accordance with the intensity of light and shade in said picture.

4. A system for picture telegraphy comprising, -a picture surface, a plurality of light Atubes massed behind said picture surface, said tubes being arranged atthe opposite end from said picture surface to form a picture cipher, a light source, means for 'directing the light from said source throughy said picture and said light tubes and producing at the end of said tubes forming said picture cipher varying intensities in light and shade inV accordance With the shade i n tensity ofsaid picture surface, a -transmitting system, and means for continuously and periodically subjecting said transmitterto modulating currents produced by the intensity of light at the end of successive tubes 5'. A system for picture telegraphy c om-- prising, a picture surface, a plurality of light tubes massed behind said picture surface and arranged at their opposite ends to form a picture cipher, a light source, means for directing light from said source through said picture surface and said light tubes and producing at the end of said light tubes forming s uch icture cipher varying intensitiesV of light in roportion to the intensity of light and sha e in said picture surface, photointensitiesof light, a photoelectric cell arranged at the cipher end of-each of said tubes, a capacity element associated with each of said photo cells adapted to be charged in ac- -cordance with the intensity of current iiowing through said photo cells as varied by said light intensity, c-ommutator means for successively discharging said capacities, an amplifier, means for transferring the energy from said commutator to said amplifier, and a transmitter for transmitting said amplified energy.

7 A system for picture telegraphy, comprising, a picture surface, a plurality of light tubes massed behind said picture surface and arranged at their opposite ends to form the icture cipher, a light source, means for pro- ]ecting the light issuing from said source through said picture surface and said light tubes an'd producing at the end of said tubes forming said picture cipher varying intensities of light varied in proportion to the intensity of light and shadow on the said picture surface, a photoelectric element positioned at the end of said light tubes forming said picture cipher, a transmitter, and a commutating means for sequentially connecting each of said photoelectric elements with said transmitter, and modulating said transmitter in a sequential manner, in accordance with electric means associated with the end of each of said light tubes, a transmitter, and means for continuousl and successively associatin lsiotoelectric means with sai transmitter, whereby said transmitter `1s modulated continuously and successively by the intensity of light reaching the cipher end of each of said light tubes.` C

6. A icture transmitting and receiving system including, a picture surface to be transmitted, a plurality of light tubes massed behind said picture surface, said light tubes being arranged at one end to form a picture cipher, a light source, means for directing said light from said source through said picture and projecting light varied in intensity in accordance with the light and shade of said picture through said light tubes to form at said cipher end of said light tubes varying 

